The Roman Emperor Caligula declared war on the sea.

World History

T o say that Caligula was not well liked in his time is putting it lightly, as the first historians who wrote of him are said to have been so biased against the eccentric Roman emperor that it's difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. Nevertheless, his erratic behavior is well documented, including the fact that he once declared war on the sea. He appears to have done so in order to declare a symbolic victory on the vast ocean. Roman historian Suetonius wrote of the incident in 40 CE, "And while no one could imagine what he intended to do, he suddenly commanded them to gather up seashells, and fill their helmets and the folds of their tunics with them, calling them 'the spoils of the sea due to the Capitoline and the Palatine.'"

The seashells were then brought back to Rome, though historian David Woods has suggested that "seashells" is a mistranslation of the word "conchae," which was also used to denote British ships captured in the English Channel. To celebrate his triumph, Caligula had a lighthouse built, gave his soldiers 100 denarii (Roman silver coins) each, and told them, "Go your ways and be merry; for now you are rich!"

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By the Numbers

Length (in years) of Caligula's reign

Caligula's age when he was assassinated in 41 CE

Did you know?

A movie based on Caligula's life was banned in several countries.

Any movie that properly conveyed the emperor's life was bound to be controversial, but the filmmakers behind Caligula probably didn't expect the level of pushback they received. Produced by Penthouse founder Bob Guccione, who wanted to make the film as explicit as possible, Caligula was disavowed by screenwriter Gore Vidal and original director Tinto Brass due to extensive changes made during production. Guccione refused to submit the film to the MPAA, which he assumed would grant it an "X" rating, and instead gave it a "Mature Audiences" label. Among the countries that went even further by banning it outright for its graphic sexual content were Russia, Belarus, Canada, and Iceland, while England cut more than eight minutes before deeming it acceptable or even legal to screen. The countries that did allow it still didn't like it — Caligula received overwhelmingly negative reviews, with Roger Ebert calling it "sickening, utterly worthless, shameful trash" in his zero-star review. Contemporary appraisals have been kinder, especially with 2023's release of the "Ultimate Cut," which is 17 minutes longer than the theatrical version and intended to be closer to Vidal's vision.

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